Home Security DVR: A Quick Guide

Posted on07/20/2018 • Reading Time: 3minutes

Home security digital video recording is an integral component of any serious home security and surveillance setup. Digital video recorders are referred to by their shortened term, DVRs. A DVR can record the digital video from your home surveillance camera and many DVRs now interact with smart phones, tablets and personal computers (PCs/Macs). A DVR looks a lot like a DVD player or other home entertainment device, but its use in the home security market makes it also a professional tool.

Many people use DVRs already for recording their favorite TV shows or movies at home. They are similar and can be used often in home security scenarios but it is recommended to get a dedicated DVR unit for home security and surveillance purposes. You also want to make sure the DVR unit is secure and cannot be accessed by unwanted visitors. If you are unsure about what to do to implement the right DVR in your security setup, try calling the professional security experts at Protect America for a deeper consultation.

Setup

Each DVR unit is unique but many offers similar types of setup features. You need to make sure to set up your DVR unit correctly to record and if they have advanced features, you should learn how they work. Often, you can buy professional grade security DVR units that can be triggered or scheduled to record.

These features and functions are usually somewhere in the settings menus of the device. You will want to spend a little bit of time looking through the user manual, directions, any online documentation mentioned by the manufacturer (many want to avoid printing costs and now only offer this online) and the menus themselves to familiarize yourself.

If there are terms you do not understand, then you need to do some online research to figure out what they mean because they can impact the functionality of your setup for home security. In many cases, for simple DVRs, the setup can be very quick and easy. For more professional grade systems with a plethora of user programmable features, you may even require assistance. Protect America has a staff of trained and qualified professionals in the security services industry that know how to help. You can call them to get started on your mission for setting up the DVR for home security.

Recording and Playback

Recording and playback is an integral part of any DVR unit that will be used for the purposes of home security and surveillance. You will need to look through the documentation but usually the recording and playback features are pretty straightforward, just like on the consumer models which feature easy to understand buttons for play and record.

However, if there are remote options or options that can be triggered through an application or computer software, then you might need to do some more research to figure out how these functions work. You can also call Protect America for some DIY assistance.

Security Monitoring and Testing

After you have completed the basic setup of your devices and software, you will need to test the unit out to ensure that it is suitable for monitoring. Get your device ready for recording and start to get some video footage from the cameras that you have plugged into the DVR unit. Start recording. Stop recording. Now, you want to play the footage back and test your system out. If you cannot get anything to work properly at this stage, you will need some configuration help. Call experts to get you through the process at Protect America. They can get you setup. Interested in monitored home security? Get a free quote from Protect America.

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